The desire of even person who has walked the streets delivering flyers or handbills door-to-door is to have some way to magically transport the flyers to each doorstep. One attempt to address this desire is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,977, issued Oct. 10, 1967 to L. F. Hall. The Hall patent discloses a device for projecting paper cones through the air.
An advertising circular, or leaflet, is rolled into a cone shape and secured in that shape by adhesive tape. The taped cone is then inserted into the breach of a tube and fitted over a nozzle that extends a substantial distance into the cone. Compressed gas is then selectively released through the nozzle to impinge on the inner conical end of the cone and propel it through the air to a desired destination.
The Hall system has several inherent disadvantages. First, in contradiction of the statements made in the Hall patent, the sharply pointed end of the paper cone presented a serious risk of injury when projected at high velocity from a tube. If the cone struck a child, or even an adult, in the head, eyes, throat, or other vulnerable area, within the first few feet after ejection from the tube, them was a significant risk of injury. Also, the Hall system was able to project only a single cone containing a single sheet of material. If more than one sheet was included in the cone, the sheets would have to be secured together to prevent unwinding during flight and accordingly the cone, and especially the tip of the cone, would have a much greater stiffness. This would undesirably increase the risk of injury if the cone were to strike a vulnerable object.
Another disadvantage of the Hall system is that the cones had to be precisely rolled so that the base of the cone would fit within the barrel of the tube and yet slide over the expanded conical base of the nozzle. Thus, a great deal of care was required in forming, rolling, and taping the cones.
A method for delivering newspapers and similar relatively heavy objects in residential areas is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,538, issued Apr. 4, 1972 to Robert L. Lamar. The Lamar system uses a compressed air-powered mechanical ram to launch the objects according to a preselected sequence program. Although rather complicated, the Lamar system appears to be useful for delivering relatively large, heavy articles, such as newspapers. However, the mechanical launcher arrangement would not be effective for projecting lightweight articles such as handbills, flyers, circulars and the like, through the air.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems set forth above. It is desirable to have a handbill assembly that is economical to produce and assemble, can be quickly and accurately delivered by ejection from a conventional tube connected to a source of compressed air, and poses no, or most very minimal, risk of injury to a person if struck by the assembly during delivery. It is also desirable to have such an assembly that is easily crushed if inadvertently stepped on after delivery.